


Lockdown

by SakuraBlossomStorm



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gun Violence, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Rape/Non-con Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-28 21:40:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 26
Words: 19,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8463982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraBlossomStorm/pseuds/SakuraBlossomStorm
Summary: It started out as any ordinary day, until someone on the fourth floor drew a gun and shot four people. Now City Hall is in lockdown leaving everyone fighting to get to their loved ones.





	1. Leslie

**Author's Note:**

> This is why you should never write after a shitty day and a glass of wine!! Angsty things happen!! 
> 
> Anyway - I came up with this idea a week ago and told myself not to start it until I finished one of my other multi chapter stories and I failed. Enjoy!

It started out like any normal day.

Leslie sat at her desk on the third floor, her calendar on her computer packed with several meetings and appointments she had to make that day. There were documents piling up on her desk awaiting her signature and the hustle and bustle of the office around her really seemed to ease her into work life.

She sped through the documents in record time, scribbling her signature and reading each page twice through just to be thorough. 

_‘Not bad’_. She thought to herself, it was only 9:30 in the morning and she was already well ahead of her usual schedule.

She double-checked her calendar; she had a video call meeting at 10am with Grant over in Chicago. She could take meeting room B and go over all the necessary arrangements there that he had for her. Then after that would be a board meeting, potentially to fire Ed, again. That little bastard was just too tricky to fire.

Then at midday, the most important part of her day, she’d go to the ground floor and have lunch with her amazing husband for half an hour, and then back to work where she’d had three more meetings that afternoon.

Leslie leaned back in her chair with a satisfied grin. She loved feeling busy and loved the hard work she put into this department since she started running the National Park Service for the Midwest division. Her team worked like a well-oiled machine and her days like clockwork. Get up, get ready, get to work, have a morning meeting, call her mom to make sure the triplets were ok (thank god she retired so they had a round the clock sitter) have two more meetings, spend five minutes hating Ron, check emails, call Ben to schedule their usual lunch date, more meetings…she could go on. But every day was just perfect to her.

She, nor did anyone around her, paid no attention to the man on the floor above her, the fourth floor, pull a gun out of his pocket and turn it onto the entire divorce settlement department.

No one heard the first shot ring out, followed by three more consecutively.

No one heard the screams, the thud of bodies hitting the floor, the stampede of people fleeing for their lives.

But they all heard the alarm sounding.

Leslie jumped at the sound of the siren, she knew the sound of the fire alarm like the back of her hand and she had trained to be a fire marshal so she had to be alert to the first shrill chime of the bell.

But this wasn’t the fire alarm.

This alarm was more frantic, loudly screeching and wailing, causing several of her colleagues to cover their ears.

It took Leslie a few seconds to recognise that sound before it all came crashing down. She stood up, her heart pounding in her chest.

“It’s the panic alarm.” She gasped out, her breathing becoming fast and fearful.

There were screams around her as people soon started to recognise the alarm too, she saw people dive under their desks and into meeting rooms, bolting the doors behind them.

It was every man or woman for themselves.

Leslie jumped up and kicked the door to her office shut, frantically she hurried back to her desk and grabbed her phone, closely followed by a photo of the triplets and a photo of her and Ben on their wedding day. She then ducked underneath, hugging her knees to her chest and panting in fear.

With trembling fingers she unlocked her phone and drafted a panicked text to Ben.

_‘Get out of here. Someone’s got a gun’._

She didn’t need to see or hear it to know. That alarm was only pulled if someone armed had made their way onto city hall property. It was no joke, and pulling the alarm even by accident was a serious and fireable offence.

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she knew what was coming next, there was no way out, the doors would be barricaded and locked. 991 calls would be made and specialist squads would arrive. She would be stuck in here until the police called the all clear.

City Hall was in total lockdown.


	2. Ben

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off: Thanks to everyone who read and commented on this story! I've received some amazing feedback for something that started off as a 'I've had a bad day and I'm going to write something miserable' fic. Honestly, I can't thank you all enough!
> 
> A special shout out goes to the awesome supervanillabear31 for helping me with this and beta-ing it for me! Thank you so much you wonderful creature! 
> 
> The next few chapters have been written so they will come up over the next few days, in the meantime, enjoy this one!
> 
> Comments, kudos and other nice things are massively appreciated!

There was something in Ben’s shoe.

He could feel it, something firm and sticky in his left shoe. He scowled as he strode down the corridors of City Hall.

He’d bet good money on that one of the triplets had put something in there when he wasn’t looking. They had a habit of doing that, they were disgustingly delightful.

If only he had been more careful that morning. He was in a rush after accidentally oversleeping. Leslie had gotten the triplets ready while he rushed around their house, trying to shower and get dressed in under fifteen minutes. He must of missed one of them, probably Stephen, slip something into his shoe.

Their monsters could really be terrors at times.

Ben meant that with sincerity of course. He loved his three children to the moon and back; they were of course a part of him and Leslie. They created these three beautiful, placing sticky objects in shoes, angels. And he wouldn’t trade them for the world.

He turned briskly into the Parks Department; Ben rarely came down here anymore and with good reason. Everything had changed. None of the old team was there anymore. Once Leslie left everyone else followed to do their own thing. The only one who was still there that Ben kind of knew was Craig Middlebrooks, the new director of the department.

And, quite frankly, Ben tried to avoid all conversations with Craig. He was a little too…shouty for Ben’s liking.

The interior inside had changed too; there was nothing familiar about this office. Craig had a taste of putting way too many paintings up on every space of the wall. It was some sort of artist from old Eagleton so half the paintings looked far too pretentious for Ben.

Ben scanned the room; there was no one there. He could only assume that they might be in a meeting. It didn’t bother him. He could easily slip Craig’s request for a weekly flower arranging class in every park in Pawnee, which had been rejected, onto his desk and leave without trouble.

As Ben stepped into the doorway to Craig’s office, he felt that horrible squelch in his shoe again. He groaned and loosened the shoe to examine the delight his children had left for him.

“Hello, Ben.”

Ben jumped backwards in alarm. He could have sworn this office was empty. But sure enough, sat in front of him, was the one person that had been forbidden of being talked about in their home.

Ron Swanson.

He didn’t look any different, same old moustache, same old clothes. He was sat in Craig’s…well…his old office like he had done for all those years he was in charge.

“Jesus, Ron.” Ben gasped, clutching his chest and dropping his shoe. “What are you doing here?”

He knew Leslie would kill him for even having a brief conversation with him, but it all just came out.

“Craig said he found some old payslips of mine. I like to keep my life private, and I don’t trust the mailmen in this town, so I thought it would be best to come collect them myself,” Ron explained, not moving from the chair.

Ben glanced down at his shoe with a frown; sure enough there was a half eaten lollypop stuck to the insole. He groaned and pulled it off, tossing it in a nearby trashcan.

“Well… Don’t mind me, just dropping these off for Craig,” Ben mumbled, trying not to make eye contact as he placed he papers in front of him.

Ron didn’t respond, he just watched Ben warily like a hawk.

Things never used to be so awkward between the two; Ron had been the witness to their will for God’s sake. But Ron and Leslie hated each other, and he was on Leslie’s team. Therefore Ron was the common enemy. He was sure he and Leslie would be friends for life, not squabbling over a stupid building. 

Ben pursed his lips; he knew Leslie missed him. She’d never admit it due to her stubbornness and wicked ability to hold a grudge for years. But she did. But Ben knew she can’t erase him from her life after years of friendship.

…Or years of work-proximity associates, as Ron would say.

“Look, Ron –”

That’s all Ben managed to get out before the siren blared out. Ben jolted and looked around him, staggering against the wall in the process and knocking over a potted plant mounted against it. The plant smashed to the floor covering his shoeless foot with dirt.

Ben didn’t have time to acknowledge this, his heart was thumping against his chest as the sound reverberated through him.

“What the hell is that?”

Ron had paled and stood up in alarm. Ben had only seen that look when one of the Tammys were close by; he was startled.

“Close the door,” Ron ordered.

“What?”

“Close the Goddamn door!” Ron roared and jumped over the desk, pushing Ben to the floor and slamming the door. 

Ben hit the floor with a thud. “What the hell is going on?” he asked angrily.

Then his phone buzzed in his pocket. Ben took his eyes off Ron, who was locking the door, and pulled his phone out. Ben’s eyes widened at the message from his wife.

_“Get out of here. Someone’s got a gun”._

Ben’s heart hammered against his chest and he started to tremble with crippling fear, this was it, he was going to die today. He’d never see Leslie or the triplets ever again.

“Fuck,” he stammered, feeling bile rise in his throat as his heart rate increased to a dangerously high level. “Ron… Someone’s loose with a gun.”

“You don’t think I know that?” Ron hissed as he barricaded the door. “That’s the panic alarm. If whoever has that gun comes in here, we’re dead.”


	3. Ron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter three! Comments and kudos are so appreciated and mean the world to me!
> 
> Thank you to supervanillabear31 for beta-ing this for me and helping me turn it into something better!

Ron swore that he would never ever, come back to City Hall.

Yet, here he was. Sat in his old office, waiting for Craig Middlebrooks to return with the last of his payslips.

Craig had called Ron at his office of Very Good Building Company. He wasn’t very pleased that Craig had someone managed to get ahold of his direct dial and was equally annoyed that he had to go to City Hall to collect his payslips.

Craig did offer to mail them for him, but that was worse. Ron hated the post office almost as more than he hated a certain Leslie Knope. 

And he cared too damn much about his privacy to let anyone else handle documents about his earnings. 

He made his way to the Parks Department where Craig left promptly to fetch the documents from Ethel, leaving Ron alone in his old office.

He studied the desk and tutted. When he joined the department all those years ago, he had made this desk from scratch; the original when he started was poorly made, and he knew he could do a better job. He had searched for weeks to find the best ‘desk tree’ and settled on birch. A day later, it had been cut down and created into a desk fit for a Swanson.

Craig had obviously not been taking proper care of it. There were dents and scuffs all over the top. Ron should have really known better and taken the desk when he left. Sadly, it didn’t cross his mind; his biggest concern was getting out of City Hall as fast as possible.

Ron had been alone in the office for a good ten minutes and was growing impatient when he heard footsteps. 

_‘Finally’_ he thought as the footsteps grew closer, but instead of the sulky Craig, Ron came face to face with Ben Wyatt.

He was mumbling to himself and pulling his left shoe off, when Ron cleared his throat.

“Hello, Ben.”

Ben jolted backwards, causing Ron to narrow his eyes. Ben clearly hadn’t gotten over his nervousness in the time they spent apart.

“Jesus, Ron,” Ben stammered and clutched his chest, “What are you doing here?”

“Craig said he found some old payslips of mine. I like to keep my life private, and I don’t trust the mailmen in this town so I thought it would be best to come collect them myself,” He explained to Ben. He didn’t get up from the chair; this wasn’t going to be a handshaking, reminiscing reunion. Considering his wife was the biggest traitor and pain in the ass he had ever met.

Ron watched as Ben pulled out a half eaten lollypop from his shoe and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. Ron rolled his eyes; clearly Leslie’s spawn took after her in the sugar-eating department.

“Well… Don’t mind me, just dropping these off for Craig,” Ben mumbled and edged towards the desk. Ron watched as he placed the documents to the side and caught sight of the big ‘rejected’ stamp over it. Ben was clearly enjoying his role, and Ron felt the need to congratulate him for taking no shit with the unnecessary requests from the likes of Craig.

He didn’t congratulate Ben. He just stared at him.

Ben had that look on his face, which meant he was about to say something serious. Ron knew that look far too well. He was probably going to say something about how Leslie missed him, even though she didn’t say it and how they should put the past behind them.

Ben opened his mouth when the siren rang out. Ron jumped up from the chair, eyes wide and staring up to the ceiling where the noise was coming from.

“What the hell is that?” Ben asked as he covered his ears.

“Close the door,” Ron ordered.

“What?” Ben asked with questioning eyes.

“Close the Goddamn door!” Ron barked. He vaulted over the desk with as much speed as he could muster and pushed Ben out of the way; he pushed him a little too hard and the narrow-framed man fell to the floor with a thud. 

He didn’t mean to, but Ron knew that sound all too well. He remembered it sounding about ten years ago; and the fear and panic that had surrounded City Hall came flooding back to him.

Someone was loose with a gun and had open fired. 

They were in lockdown.


	4. April

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much supervanillabear31 for checking this over for me! You are the best! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

April loved the fourth floor of City Hall.

It was dangerous and creepy as fuck. But there was nowhere better for her to enjoy a morning coffee as she watched the terrified teenagers being shunted into the department of probation, the aggressive couples arguing as they were led into divorce filing and just witnessing anyone take the free popcorn on show and grimacing at the taste of it.

She knew she was meant to attend a meeting with Leslie at some point, but she could wait for her, April did this every morning and that tradition was never going to change. Leslie could wait

April rocked her head side to side, clicking her neck as she sipped the bitter coffee; it was just how she liked it, black, no sugar, and no milk. It made her feel powerful and alert.

She checked her phone. Andy hadn’t responded to her text yet; she knew he was filming for his brand new show as Johnny Karate and wouldn’t be able to write back until his break. For now, she just had to sulk and wait.

April drained the last of her coffee and got up from the bench she was sat on when she heard the shouting.

She paused. It sounded like some drama was going down in divorce filing, probably some disgruntled couple arguing over who got to keep the dog or not.

Then she heard the gun shot. 

It rang out with an ear shattering bang. Everyone around her jumped and froze in fear. Trying to gauge whether what they had just heard was what they feared the most.

The next three shots affirmed their fears. There was a stampede of people screaming and crying as they charged down the corridor and towards the stairs. April had been pushed to the wall as people thundered past her. She tried to force her way through the crowd to escape, but the sheer brute force of the panicked people around her kept her trapped.

She saw a gap and grabbed her bag to escape. But it was too late.

“Don’t move!”

April stopped dead in her tracks; her fingers trembling so much she dropped her empty coffee cup. 

“Turn around and look at me.”

A lump formed in April’s throat. She shakily turned on her feet, trying not to move too much and came face to face with him.

A man stood in front of her; he had a long beard and wild, crazy eyes. A pistol in his hands aimed at her. He was quivering just as much as she was.

“Hands in the air,” the man ordered loudly.

April swallowed hard and slowly raised her hands, opened palmed and shaking.


	5. Andy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five is now up! This is the last of the character introductions so we'll be getting into the juicier stuff now! 
> 
> A huge thanks goes to supervanillabear31 for beta-ing this for me! You are awesome!! 
> 
> Please don't forget to comment and kudos, I really do appreciate them!

“And that’s all for today on the ‘Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion show!” Andy wrapped up with a huge toothy grin to the camera.

The set was soon cleared; the show was still fairly small and the crew weren’t allowed to occupy the studio for longer than two hours. Every episode of The Johnny Karate Show had to be filmed and wrapped as soon as possible.

Andy went back to his dressing room, which doubled as a janitor’s closet, and changed out of his karate gear. He tossed it to the corner of the room, knowing that no one would move it from that spot until he came back tomorrow to film again.

He couldn’t remember the last time it had been washed, but he didn’t care.

Andy glanced at his phone and saw April had text him about five minutes ago, telling him how bored she was and couldn’t wait to see him.

That’s when the idea popped into his head; Andy was going to go to City Hall and surprise April. He wanted to take her out for a beer. It was never too early for a beer right?

He changed into his regular clothes and bolted out of the studio, already far too excited to see his wife.

When he arrived at City Hall there was a huge crowd of people blocking the entrance. Andy struggled to make it to the front, completely oblivious to the people around him crying and shaking.

Andy strode to the entrance, only to be met by several police officers barricading the doors.

“Oh, it’s cool man,” Andy told the officer. “I used to work here; I’m going to see my wife.”

“Sir, you need to leave immediately.” The police officer told Andy sternly. “There is an incident in City Hal; everything’s locked down.”

Andy blinked. “So I can’t see my wife?”

The police officer glared at Andy; he was sure he had made himself quite clear. “Sir, you need to leave now,” he said again.

Andy cocked his head to the side like a cute, confused puppy. What the hell did that mean that City Hall was in lockdown? 

“What about everyone that works there?” Andy asked again, to the annoyance of the police officer.

“I can’t say anything more about the matter, I can’t confirm whether the people inside are alive or not. Please can you move away now please, Sir?”

Andy frowned as he took several steps away from the police officer, maybe he wouldn’t be able to take April out for a beer after all.

It wasn’t until he walked past a group of sobbing women he finally gauged what was happening.

“I saw him,” one sobbed, “I saw him with a gun; he turned it on his wife on the fourth floor.”

Andy’s heart dropped, April was up there, and he knew she loved to go to the fourth floor during the mornings to drink her coffee.

His eyes widened as the dots connected in his brain. His wife was in trouble. And he needed to get in there now.


	6. Leslie II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter six is here! This is a little backstory into Leslie's morning before the incident.
> 
> Thanks for all the comment so far! They mean the world to me and I love reading that you are enjoying the story!
> 
> A special thanks also goes to Supervanillabear31 for being my awesome beta! Thank you so much you beautiful sea otter!! <3

_“Ben, honey. It’s time to get up,” Leslie cooed softly to her husband, gently shaking his shoulder to try and rouse him from his slumber._

_Ben groaned, his eyes still closed and buried himself further into his pillow. “Five more minutes,” Leslie heard him grumble._

_Leslie rolled her eyes. Okay, she could give him that. Since she’d already been up for an hour, she’d showered and, now, she supposed she could get the triplets ready and leave Ben to rest for a little longer._

_Maybe it was a bad idea they stayed up for so late last night watching TV and making out. But the triplets managed to go to sleep so early last night they just had to take advantage of the situation._

_And now Ben was paying the price heavily, he didn’t do well with the lack of sleep. Honestly, they both probably could’ve done with a full nights sleep to make up for all the times the triplets woke up screaming for attention._

_Leslie made her way into the triplets’ bedroom, where her babies were all awake and shrieking excitedly as Leslie made her entrance. Each of them clambering over the bars of their beds and charging towards Leslie, she wasn’t sure when they managed to learn to sneak out of their beds at the age of two, but she had to admit she was impressed._

_“Good morning,” she greeted her children as they swarmed her, wrapping their chubby arms around her and smothering her with kisses. “Did you all sleep good?”_

_“Ya!” three voices chorused back at her._

_Leslie dressed her three children in some adorable outfits that Donna had chosen for them. Stephen grimaced at the orange shirt he was in, and Leslie had to laugh. Her babies were so expressive, and they were slowly noticing what they liked and didn’t like._

_Wesley snuggled into her shoulder and demanded to be picked up, Stephen was already jumping up and down by the door, waiting to go downstairs, and Sonia was gathering up her favourite stuffed animals to take with her to breakfast._

_Leslie saddled Wesley in her arms and walked towards the door, while Stephen and Sonia obediently followed and slid down the stairs on their butts, squealing with laughter as they did so._

_Andy taught them that; she had soon realised after he and April had babysat one day and since then sliding down the stairs on their butts had become the triplets’ new favourite way of getting around the house._

_She set Wesley down at the dining room table and grabbed three full bowls of Fruit Loops, placing them on the table. She managed to wrangle Sonia into her seat and went to get Stephen._

_He was by the front door with one of Ben’s shoes in his hands; there was a wicked grin on his face as he stuck his hand into it._

_“Stevie, what are you doing to Daddy’s shoe?” Leslie asked, her arms folded._

_“Nuttin’” the little boy replied with a cheeky smile._

_Leslie had no time to find out what he had done; she was sure Ben would notice soon enough when he’d put on his shoes._

_Crap, Ben._

_He was probably now fast asleep again. Leslie sat Stephen down at the table, and he grabbed his bowl of cereal and began stuffing it into his mouth. She put on some cartoons on the TV to hopefully keep them occupied while she went to check on Ben._

_Sure enough her husband was fast asleep again, sprawled out and snoring loudly._

_“Ben,” Leslie said sternly, shaking him a little more ferociously than before. Ben snorted awake, smacking his lips together and eyes squinting._

_“Wha?”_

_“You have fifteen minutes to get up, showered, and ready for work,” Leslie said bluntly._

_Ben’s eyes widened as he scrambled out of the bed sheets, tripping over them in the process. “WHAT? Why didn’t you wake me?”_

_“I tried!” Leslie protested, feeling a little hurt._

_Ben hurried into the shower, frantically pulling down his sleep shorts on the way. Leslie sighed and left him to get ready. At least he was awake now; he’d be pouty and grumpy for the first part of the morning, but usually he’d perk up on the drive over._

_Failing that she’d drop a coffee off at his office later._

_She walked back downstairs to, thankfully, see their children still enthralled with whatever cartoon was on the TV. There were far too many for her to keep up with, Doc McStuffins was one. Stephen and Sonia both liked Thomas the Tank Engine, but Wesley didn’t. The talking trains apparently scared him. Then there was Dora the Explorer, which Sonia was obsessed with, and, weirdly enough, Wesley would be captivated by Sofia the First._

_Right now, they were watching some sort of programme about animals, and they all had annoying voices. Leslie shook her head and started cleaning up the Fruit Loops, which the majority seemed to have missed their mouths and ended up all over the floor._

_Ben came rushing down the stairs with two minutes to spare; he got there just in time to give each of his children sloppy kisses goodbye as Marlene took them for the day._

_Leslie handed him a coffee in a travel flask. “Here”, she said, shoving it into his hands. She was still a little icy about Ben blaming her for his oversleeping._

_Ben took it and drank a big gulp, humming at the strong taste with approval. “Thanks,” he mumbled, taking Leslie’s hand in his. “I’m sorry I’m a little grouchy this morning.”_

_“It’s not my fault you overslept,” Leslie cut in, her lower lip jutting out in a pout._

_“I know,” Ben said, kissing her forehead. “Come on, or we’ll be late. Shall I drive?”_

_Leslie shook her head and took the keys, “No, I’ll drive. You drink your coffee.”_

_She let go of Ben’s hand as they walked out of the door. Yes, he had apologised, but Leslie still had a pang of annoyance running through her. He’d pay for this later; he’d buy her the biggest stack of waffles she had ever seen to make up for this._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scene from the morning replayed in Leslie’s mind over and over. If only she knew this was going to happen, then she never would have held a grudge against Ben. She would have kissed him lovingly and made sure he woke up on time, she would have hugged her children for longer and spent ages telling them how much she loved them and how precious they were to her.

Now she might never see any of them again.

No, she couldn’t think like that. She was as safe as she could be in this situation. Her office door was locked, and she was hidden under her desk. She had to think positively. Tonight, she’d walk through her front door and see Ben and the triplets; she could imagine it now.

It was eerily quiet. The alarm had stopped sounding ages ago. But she knew she couldn’t move until she heard someone calling that it was safe. 

But how long would that be? According to the clock on her phone, she had been here for well over an hour now. Still waiting in the silence, praying that this fear and constant stream of uncertainty would be over soon.

Tears poured out of her eyes without her realising as she looked down at the frames in her hands, splashing onto the glass. Her family. She needed them right now to be strong.

Where was Ben? He hadn’t replied to her text. Maybe he left his phone on his desk and was in a meeting when the alarm sounded. Maybe he was lucky enough to get out and was going crazy with panic. She had switched it to silent in case he tried to call her; the sound would surely give her cover away.

She could only assume this started on the fourth floor. There were usually people getting into fights and such up there. But how did someone get a gun in there? They had metal detectors. Who dropped the ball and let this maniac in there?

A loud bang in the hall made Leslie squeak in nervousness and hug the photos closer to her chest, rocking slowly as she sobbed quietly.

She’d be home soon. She would be. She just had to stay positive and think of her family.


	7. April II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 7! Thank you all so much for the lovely comments I have received about this story! They really do make my day!

“Get in there,” the man hissed, shoving April’s back and pushing her into the Divorce Court. 

April did so, refusing to turn around to look at the man. Her heart hammered against her chest, and her mind reeled with so many thoughts about what was going to happen. But she tried to push them all to the side. She couldn’t panic. She didn’t want to panic. It wasn’t in her nature to do so anyway.

Then again, she had never been in a situation like this before.

She had to remain calm. Because she was going to get out of this alive. She’d be home at the end of the day laughing with Andy and Champion. She started thinking so much about going home and everything being ok that her thoughts slowly turned to remember all the small details of their house. The colour of their couch, the stain on the carpet where Champion had a an accident, the burn marks on the wall where Andy thought it would be fun to invent a game that involved lighting things on fire and throwing them at the wall.

She could practically see her home in front of her eyes. Until she felt something prod her back, sending a rush of fear through her body.

“What are you doing? _I said get in there_ ,” the man hissed again, and April took bigger steps into the room.

She was both relieved and annoyed to see that she was not alone. Ethel Beavers was sat in the corner, looking stone faced and toying with her hands in her lap. Councilman Howser was there too, wide-eyed and looking like he was trying to desperately keep it together. And, to April’s dismay, Kyle was there. Of all the people she had to be held captive with it had to be him.

_Great, just fucking great._

The man bolted the door shut, blocking the way with chairs and tables that were scattered around the room. April watched him with some sick interest that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was like watching a car crash; she didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

The man turned around and noticed April staring at him. He lifted a shaky hand with the pistol still clamped tightly in it, aiming it at her feet.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” April replied, almost a little too quickly.

The man swallowed. “Sit down” he ordered.

“I’d rather stand.”

She heard Kyle squeak behind her, and she almost turned around to tell him to shut up. But she was too focused on the man in front of her. 

He looked familiar. There was something about him that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but the way his eyes bore into her reminded her of something, something that she chose to forget years ago and refused to think about.

Until now.

“I want all your phones,” he ordered, rounding to Ethel first, who sighed and handed over her out of date cell phone. April watched him hound Kyle and Councilman Howser for their devices. Kyle trembled as he took his out of his coat. Councilman Howser hesitated slightly before finally giving his up.

The man then turned to April. “If you aren’t going to sit down, you better give me your phone.”

April pulled her phone out of her pocket, briefly catching a glance at it and noticing that Andy had text her.

A text she’d never be able to read, because the gunman threw the phones on the floor and stomped on them until they were just piles of glass and metal.

She looked back up at him, trying to gauge if she really did know those eyes. Those piercing blue eyes that she saw once before in her life, through hazy alcohol induced memories.

The gunman looked at her and frowned, and April could see he was shaking. “What? You better stop looking at me, or I’ll shoot.”

“You’re not going to shoot me,” April said, her voice clear and free of any of her nerves.

The gunman was taken aback and glared at her. “Oh yeah? What makes you so sure?”

“Because I know you,” April replied, not breaking eye contact with him. Yes, there they were. Those blue eyes that she saw once before, nine years ago.

“You clearly don’t remember me. But my name is April Ludgate, and you are Eric Coleman. We met at the Snakehole Lounge nine years ago.”

April watched as Eric’s face dropped, and the hand armed with the gun dropped by his side.

“And I think you owe it to me not to shoot me right now,” April finished, holding her head high and glaring daggers at Eric.


	8. Ben II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you goes to supervanillabear31 for beta-ing this chapter for me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

“Oh my God,” Ben cried out, his breathing heavy and frantic. “Oh my God.”

His knees went to his chest protectively, and his hands were running through his hair anxiously. Leslie’s text was still reeling in his head.

A gun.

Someone had a gun in City Hall.

And Leslie was three floors above him. 

Alone.

His shoe was still in the corner of the room. Ron kicked it towards him as he walked back to his old desk. Ben watched as Ron calmly ran his hands along a piece of the wall behind it, and, with a careful tap in the right place, it opened up to reveal a bottle of Lagavulin and two glasses.

“Ah good; it’s still here.”

Ben didn’t have time to question how long Ron had this secret compartment for. And whether he had it during his role of City Manager. He just watched with strange fascination as Ron pulled the bottle free and analysed it for a second, like he was studying it to see if anyone had taken a sip of the precious liquid since he had been gone.

There was suddenly silence, and Ben looked up, furrowing his eyebrows. The alarm that had been sounding around City Hall fell silent, it must have run out of battery.

But someone was still here with a gun. 

Someone had a gun.

Ben’s eyes were wide as he watched Ron pour two glasses of the scotch, taking one for himself and then walking back over to Ben, crouching down and stretching out his hand, offering the second glass to him.

Ben tried to shake his head. But all he could do was stare at Ron and the absurdly kind, weird gesture given the current circumstances.

Leslie was alone upstairs on the third floor, and he was here about to have potentially his last drink with with Ron of all people.

And there was a gunman on the loose.

“Take it,” Ron ordered. “You might as well. We’re not going anywhere any time soon.”

Ben tentatively took the glass and sipped the strong liquor. He hated scotch; it was one of those drinks that he never took to. He’d much prefer having a gin and tonic over this harsh tasting alcohol.

But, in this moment, he seemed to ignore how much it burned his throat; right now; this glass of Lagavulin was exactly what he needed.

He looked back down at his phone; it was still open on the text that Leslie sent to him. Ben set the glass next to his shoe and grabbed his phone, his fingers working desperately to type out his message.

_I’m safe. Where are you? Are you safe?_

Panic reared inside him when he didn’t get a response. He knew Leslie. In these situations, she’d respond instantly.

_I don’t want to call you in case someone finds you._

_Just please text me yes or no to let me know you’re safe._

_Leslie, please…_

Ben’s head rolled back and hit the wall, praying for a response, praying for anything, a sign, a hint, something that would let him know that Leslie was okay.

He closed his eyes, feeling tears brimming. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. He’d never forgive himself for snapping at her this morning when it was clearly his fault for oversleeping. He couldn’t face looking into three tiny faces every day and having to explain why Mommy wasn’t there anymore. He couldn’t do it, and the potential scenario scared him.

There was a beep from his phone, causing Ben and Ron to both look at it. Ben scrambled to pick it up, and he clasped a hand over his mouth as a noise that was a cross between a sob and a sigh of relief came from his mouth.

_Yes._

“She’s safe,” Ben mumbled. He wasn’t sure if Ron even cared right now if Leslie was all right, but he needed to say it out loud, as if to confirm it to himself.

Ron just grunted and took another sip.

Ben reached down and took the glass back into his hands, feeling the need to taste the sharpness of the Lagavulin again. He let the dark liquid run down his throat, and this time around he coughed slightly at the taste.

And that’s when it hit him. He couldn’t stay in this room.

“I’m going to find her,” Ben announced, clambering awkwardly to his feet and draining the last of the scotch. It burned this time around, and Ben gagged loudly.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Ron snapped, walking over to him. “Don’t be a fool. She’s fine; you’re both in contact with each other. Just leave it at that.”

“But I need to be with her,” Ben cried out. “I need to see her and protect her. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to her and all because I’ve been sitting in here drinking! No. I’m going to find her.”

It must have been the scotch. But Ben had never felt confidence like this before. A perilous situation, but still he wanted to run down the hall, into the lift and to her office, where he could hold her, and she could bury her face in his neck. He’d comfort her and tell her they were both going to make it home tonight.

The thought of living a life without Leslie was unimaginable. And he wasn’t going to sit around and let it happen.

“I’m going,” Ben said again.

“You’re not. First off, you’re only wearing one shoe,” Ron said, gesturing to Ben’s shoe, still on the floor. “Second of all, you’ll get killed if you go out there. What if you ran into the maniac? You’re not armed; you’d get killed instantly” Ron carried on, topping up his own glass. “Do the smart thing. Stay here.”

“I’m not staying here. If you are so worried about me getting killed, then come with me. You’re strong; I’d be okay with you,” Ben said, not noticing the pleading to his voice.

Ron’s face remained expressionless, just like Ben had always known him to be. But there was something in his eyes. 

Fear. 

Ben had never seen fear in Ron’s eyes before.

“Leslie and I aren’t friends anymore; that’s true. But I don’t want you going out and getting hurt just trying to get to her when we know she’s okay. She’d die without you. Not to mention your children. Don’t be a fool, Ben” Ron told him sternly.

Ben was getting flustered, his curled his fists, and the alcohol swirled his brain.

“What if it was Diane?”

Ron flinched.

“What if it was Diane up there?” Ben said again. “Scared and alone. You’d want to go and find her, right? Help me, Ron. Help me get to her. You can hide on the third floor, just…help me…Please.”

Ron turned away from Ben and slowly walked back behind his desk. His hands traced the wall just above where a picture was of several purple lines; Ben was about to ask what he was doing, when Ron’s fist slammed into the wall with a thud, causing Ben to jump back.

Just like that, another compartment opened up, and Ron rummaged inside, pulling out two shotguns.

Ben gawped at him. How did he have all these secret compartments without anyone knowing? Not to mention with guns and alcohol in them.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Ron said, walking back over to him and handing him and gun. “Put your shoe back on, and let’s go.”


	9. Andy II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might be odd for me to post this chapter after everything that's happened in London today but...let's just call it closure for me.

“You don’t understand,” Andy cried frantically, trying to push past the police officer. “My wife is in there. She’s in trouble!”

“Sir, you are not allowed in the building,” the police officer snapped back. “Please get back behind the line.”

Andy turned and looked at the police tap just metres away from him. “I’m not going back! You need to let me in there. April’s not out here. She’s still in the building!”

“Sir, I can assure you that we are doing our best to make sure that the citizens inside are safe. Get behind the line,” the officer ordered.

“I’m not doing anything until you get my wife out of there,” Andy said sternly.

The officer was growing impatient. “If you don’t get behind the line now I’ll have an officer escort you to the police station. You can wait in a cell for your wife.”

This made Andy immediately back off. He turned and ducked underneath the blue police tape, his heart thudding against his chest.

He looked back up at City Hall. The building that was usually so bustling was now a ghost town, saved for the frantic crowd of people and ambulances and police cars gathered a few seconds away.

April. Where was she? Was she on the fourth floor when it all happened? Was she hiding somewhere, whispering a quiet Hail Mary to herself? He knew that she shunned all Catholic teachings from her family, but in times of need he found her muttering it quietly to herself.

It made him feel sick. April was awesome, so strong and could easily take care of herself. But the thought of some madman being loose so near to her with a gun… It was too much.

He wanted to get her out of there.

No. He _needed_ to. For his own sanity and her safety.

He sprinted towards his car and yanked the trunk open. He knew what he needed to do. It was stupid, and usually only came out for roleplaying occasions. But as he pulled on his FBI jacket and dark sunglasses, he suddenly felt a rush of confidence.

He stood up straighter, the concerned expression on his face changed, and he scowled.

Sure, he’d probably get caught. But it was worth a shot. And something about the jacket, the glasses and changing his personality into his alter ego made him feel ready to fight anything.

He wasn’t Andy Dwyer anymore. He had been left behind at the police tape.

This was a job for Burt Macklin.


	10. Ron II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update for you all! I hope you all enjoy!

“What if it was Diane?”

Ron froze, and his moustache twitched. He was adamant about not going to find Leslie. It was a stupid move, not to mention it could get them both killed. 

But this… It was a bold thing to say.

“What if it was Diane up there?” Ben continued. “Scared and alone. You’d want to go and find her, right? Help me, Ron. Help me get to her. You can hide on the third floor, just…help me…Please.”

Ron’s mind went into overdrive. It was a weird feeling for him; he never usually overthought any situation.

But dammit, Ben was right.

If it were Diane up there all by herself, he’d be going crazy. He’d throw himself at the walls desperate to help her. And he’d sure as hell fight off anyone who tried to stop him from going to find her. 

He had to put himself in Ben’s shoes. Not literally of course, his feet were a good two sizes bigger than Ben’s. But metaphorically. 

The poor man was going insane at the thought of his wife being all alone. And she was probably terrified too. 

No, he had to help. As much as he didn’t want to because it was Leslie and not Diane, he was a good man. And real men let go of their grudges for at least a few hours to go and help out someone in need.

Even if she did call him every name under the sun.

Ron traced the wall, trying to remember the exact place where he stashed all of his weapons. After the last time, he swore that he would never go unprepared again.

He tried to push back the last experience he had of this to the back of his mind. That wouldn’t happen again, not this time. He was ready and armed.

Then Ron felt it, the slight bump in the wall that told him he had found what he was looking for. He pounded the wall with his fist and noticed Ben jump backwards from the corner of his eye. 

If that man was going to go on some crazy mission with him, he really needed to get his nerves under control. Especially if he was going to hold a gun.

The wall parted, revealing a compartment. Ron quickly pulled out two shotguns and walked back over to a surprised Ben, who was gawping at him.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Ron grunted, pressing the gun into Ben’s hand. “Put your shoe back on, and let’s go.”

Ben quickly scrambled to his feet, pulling on the brown shoe and trembling as he looked at the gun again.

“Are you sure about this?”

“How else are we going to defend ourselves?” Ron asked. “It’s still America. If he’s going to be a coward and use a gun, then we’re going to take his weapon and use it against him.”

Ron drained the last of his glass and slammed it back down on the desk. “Listen up. You’ve got a real loaded gun in your hand. You will only use it if that maniac comes at us. Aim for the shoulder or thighs. Do not aim for the chest or head. We want to hurt him, not kill him. The last thing we want is a trial after this.”

Ben nodded frantically, and Ron could see that he was desperately trying to get the situation in his head.

Ron reached over, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be fine. Let’s hope that we get there with no problem.”

He cocked the gun. “Stay behind me. And do what I tell you, got it?”

Ben audibly swallowed, and Ron saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down.

“Got it,” he croaked.

Ron unlocked the door, and, with a swift kick, it swung open. He aimed the gun, and the two carefully made their way out of the Parks Department.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!


	11. April III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new update for you all. 
> 
> Just a little warning that there is some non-consensual parts in this chapter.

_She was eighteen when it happened._

_April felt a sense of pride in managing to get past the bouncer on the door at the Snakehole Lounge. She had told him she was twenty-five while walking past him, and he didn’t stop her or ask for ID._

_She was in and ready to get super drunk and dance like crazy. Her friends were right behind her, a group of college misfits that just wanted to have fun._

_A trip to the bar later, and she had a triple whiskey in her hands, sipping it like was water. That’s when she saw him._

_A pair of icy blue eyes followed her as she danced, not once looking away, April was captivated by them. It might have been the alcohol or just the euphoria of being in a club underage, but it felt thrilling._

_She turned away, taking a shot from the tray her friend just brought over and knocked it back._

_Next thing April knew, she was wasted. Her friend, Helen, was telling her about the guy she had invited but hadn’t shown up yet. He was called Owen or Oliver or something… She couldn’t remember. Heck, she couldn’t even stand up straight._

_That’s when she felt two arms around her._

_“Come on, baby,” a greasy voice whispered in her ear. “Let’s dance.”_

_Far too drunk to care or even notice what was happening, April let the stranger tug her on the dance floor. She was sure that it would be fine. What was a quick dance with a stranger? Wasn’t that the reason why people went to clubs?_

_Then she felt the hands rub against her thigh and cup her butt. Something inside her begged her to turn away and go back to her friends, but a soft voice inside her reminded her to let go and have fun and that she was safe._

_“I’m April Ludgate. What’s your name,” April asked as she leaned into him._

_“Eric Coleman. Enough small talk. Let’s get a drink,” the man said, and led April towards the bar. April staggered slightly and looked back out at the dance floor. She could see Helen talking to someone dressed in all black and red circles around his eyes. That must have been her friend._

_She was so busy looking at him that she didn’t notice Eric slip something into her glass._

_He handed her the shot, and April knocked it back without paying attention, and then let Eric drag her back onto the dance floor._

_It took exactly five minutes for April to feel uneasy. Her palms grew sweaty, and she could barely hold her eyes open. The room spun, and she felt like she was going to throw up._

_“I… need air,” she managed to choke out. She pushed past Eric and stumbled off the dance floor._

_She managed to stagger towards an emergency exit and pushed it open, leading her out to an alley. Her feet felt like lead, and she managed to shuffle over to the wall before collapsing against it, taking ragged breaths._

_Something wasn’t right; that last shot had done something to her. This wasn’t something an alcoholic drink could do to her. No, she felt drugged._

_April tried to push herself up from the wall to go and find a cab home, when a hand pushed her back._

_“Thought you’d run away that easily, huh?” the voice hissed._

_April recognised the voice. It was the same greasy tone that had charmed her an hour ago._

_“E-Eric,” she slurred, her eyelids fluttering._

_“Shut the fuck up” Eric growled, spinning her around and pushing her back up against the wall. April felt the cold hard surface crash against the side of her face and graze her cheeks._

_She tried to fight him off, scratch him, bite him, anything. But she was too drugged to function like she wanted it to. Instead, she felt Eric tug down her jeans and panties._

_April willed her body to do something, begged her voice to scream as loudly as she could before it was too late._

_Then…her saving grace._

_“If you make another move, I will curse you.”_

_Eric froze and looked up. April managed to turn her head and see the guy that Helen had brought along, the guy in black. He looked haunted and dressed like Halloween personified._

_“I suggest you get the fuck out of here, Halloweentown,” Eric spat._

_“I know your face. I’ll remember it tonight when I practice my voodoo,” the man said. From his pocket, he produced a small doll that looked just like Eric, right down to the clothes._

_“Maybe I should make some adjustments. Cut off the penis and sew it back on to his forehead,” the man mumbled, playing with the voodoo doll._

_Eric let out a frustrated screech. He pushed April to the ground and sprinted off, knowing that his plan had been foiled._

_April wasn’t sure what happened next, but she woke up in a room with pitch-black paint and bizarre artwork about animals controlling humans._

_She sat up and her head throbbed, causing her to groan loudly. Then she saw him, the guy that had come to her rescue earlier._

_“Drink this,” he said, handing her some water. “I’m Orin. Helen’s friend.”_

That night, Orin became April’s most trusted friend, but even he couldn’t save her from this situation.

She had to defend herself against the guy who tried to rape her all those years ago.

April arched her back and stood up stronger as Eric’s eyes searched her all over.

“No… No it’s not possible” Eric stammered. The hand holding the gun was shaking.

“Yeah. It’s possible. Good to see you remember that night so well. It’s been playing on my mind for years,” April growled.

She was going to do the thing she knew best: destroy him with her words.


	12. Ben III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks goes to supervanillabear31 and benjis-cool-times for looking this over for me and giving me great advice! You two are the best!

Ben hated getting mad. Especially if it was at Leslie.

He hated it when his emotions boiled over, and he’d snap at her for some stupid reason. She was the mother of his children, the love of his life. And every time he raised his voice at her, he ended up feeling disgusted with himself.

It barely happened, but he felt terrible when it did. One time, he snapped at her because she promised that she’d be home by 7 for a movie night. Instead, she was two hours late because she got swept up with something that happened in City Council that day. 

Ben had bought wine and chocolates, and cooked an amazing three-course meal all for her, only for her not to turn up until much later.

He tried not to be mad; he should’ve told her that he was doing this for her. But still he found himself shouting, while Leslie stood in the doorway in shock.

It didn’t last for long. He soon realised what he was doing and apologised immediately. Leslie wrapped him up in her arms and told him not to be sorry, because she should have been home hours ago.

The next day, Ben came home to find that she’d cooked calzones from scratch and purchased a bottle of champagne for them to drink, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the self-loathing he felt.

Another time was just after the triplets were born. Ben didn’t mean to snap; he was sleep deprived, the babies would not stop screaming, and Leslie was defiant about not taking a nap.

He’d desperately tried to get her into bed after the babies had finally fallen asleep, but she refused, telling Ben that she wasn’t tired and wanted to work on her most recent scrapbook project. But Ben could see her eyes drooping and knew that she was trying to fight it.

He tried leading her to bed, and she got grouchy, telling him to leave her alone. Ben then told her most eloquently to ‘fucking take a nap,’ which resulted in floods of tears from both new parents.

Ben held her close as he sobbed, apologising and insisting that he didn’t mean to yell. He just wanted her to rest so badly. They both fell asleep in each other’s arms, getting the shuteye that they needed so badly.

But he still felt terrible for days after. As he watched Leslie yawn while she rocked Stephen to sleep or dose with Wesley on her chest. He never should’ve shouted, and he hated himself for it. He could have woken up the triplets, or worse, he could’ve really upset Leslie.

And, now, as Ben stood behind Ron, a gun in his trembling hands while walked into the silent corridor of the ground floor, he remembered that morning.

Why had he gotten so mad? It was entirely his fault. He was the one who’d overslept despite Leslie trying to wake him up. But he still found the anger inside of him to take it out on her.

And now he might never see her again.

“I can hear you thinking from here,” Ron grumbled quietly, causing Ben to look up.

“S-Sorry,” Ben quickly replied. “I’m just nervous.”

“If you want to talk about it, do it quietly,” Ron grunted as he led the way, pausing every now and then to look around him.

He pushed open the door to the staircase. Ben guessed an elevator would have been too risky. Ron scanned the stairway and then beckoned Ben inside.

“I got mad at Leslie this morning,” Ben finally said as they climbed the stairs up to the third floor.

He heard Ron sigh and reluctantly ask, “What happened?”

“I overslept,” Ben explained, as the morning’s events replayed in his mind once again. “And she tried to wake me up, but I didn’t… I got pretty annoyed at her, blamed her for not waking me up even though she did, and she was mad at me. I was supposed to take her to lunch to make up for it, but now…” he swallowed. “Now I might never get to see her again.”

“If that’s what you call a fight, then you clearly never saw what Tammy II and I used to do to each other,” Ron said as they made it to the second floor, one more level to go. 

“She once pulled out half the hair on the right side of my head when I ate the last piece of bacon at breakfast,” Ron said. “That fight you had this morning was nothing. And stop saying you will never see her again. We are on the way to find her. Once we get to her office, we will know more.”

Ben bowed his head in agreement as they reached the door to the third floor. Ron turned to him and nodded once. 

“You two will be fine,” he mumbled, with a deep breath he pushed the door open. They carefully edged out to the third floor; Leslie’s office wasn’t far from here. It would be along the corridor, followed by a right turn, and then he’d be there.

Ben was about to step forward when Ron threw an arm out, catching him in the chest. He was about to ask what was happening, but he caught sight of Ron’s face, and his heart stopped.

“Someone’s there,” Ron breathed out quietly. 

Ben was about to tell him that he heard nothing when a thud echoed from down the corridor, close to Leslie’s office.

The colour drained from Ben’s face as Ron jumped in front of him, his gun aimed down the hall.

“Who’s there?” Ron called. “I’m armed.”

A figure skidded out from around the bend, and Ron fired a shot.


	13. Andy III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Supervanillabear31 and Benjis-cool-times for beta-ing this for me!

Andy strolled boldly up to the building, fully clad in Bert Macklin’s attire. He had taken a route around the side where he knew was a fire exit that was usually open. He used to sneak out of there from the shoeshine stand and set off fireworks when he was bored, but now it would be his way to get to April.

It was a sure-fire plan; no one ever paid any attention to this particular exit.

Until now.

There was a police officer guarding the door. He looked maybe four years younger than Andy and was incredibly skinny. He reminded Andy of Ben.

Andy strode up to him, and the officer looked alarmed. 

“S-Sir. You can’t be here -”

“The name’s Burt Macklin,” Andy responded. “I’m with the FBI.”

The police officer gulped. “Ok. Can I see some proof?”

Andy scoffed loudly and towered over the man. “Didn’t you hear me, boy? I’ve given you my proof. Let me repeat myself. I’m Burt Macklin. I’m with the _fucking_ FBI.”

The officer was trembling, and Andy continued.

“I suggest you let me into that building now. People will die otherwise.”

The police officer bit his lip, and a shaky hand went to open the door.

“Hawkins, any sign of the gunman?”

Andy jumped at the sound of another voice. It was the same police officer who had told Andy to go away earlier. He quickly turned to the runt of the police officer and leaned in.

“I was never here,” he hissed before he bolted around the corner. 

He made it to the other side of City Hall, breathing heavily. It was hard work being a fake FBI agent.

He looked up. Leslie’s office was exactly three floors above him. He knew this because he’d climbed up there on a dare once, and he’d frightened her so much that she threw her coffee mug at him in retaliation.

Andy looked around. The tall oak tree was still there, the same one he used to hitch his way up there. The branches were long and sturdy. It was doable.

He paced the grass, studying the branches and picking the first one carefully. It was hanging low enough that he could easily pull himself up and onto the next one. 

With a grunt, he hoisted himself up. His hands grazing the rough bark of the tree. It hurt and he was sure he was bleeding, but he didn’t care.

April needed him. 

It seemed to go on forever, but soon he was level with Leslie’s office. Andy took a moment to catch his breath and silently prayed for the window to be open.


	14. Leslie III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> A huge thanks goes to Supervanillabear31 and Benjis-cool-times for being two very wonderful and supportive betas!

It had been quiet for far too long. 

Leslie looked back at her phone. Several texts from Ben had come through, all to make sure that she was safe. She’d been too afraid to type out a lengthy reply, only managing to send back a brief ‘yes.’

She wanted to say more, to say that she was scared and needed him, but she couldn’t bring herself to type anything else out. She had told Ben what he needed to know, she was safe for now, and had to concentrate on the positives.

She was safe, and Ben was safe.

Leslie repeated it over in her head, trying to drill it in. She was safe. The door was locked. Ben was safe. He was on the ground floor. She was safe. He was safe.

But that still didn’t stop the tears from falling down her face.

Leslie shuddered, her cries turning into wracked sobs. She covered her mouth, trying to muffle the sounds and remind herself over and over again that she was ok. 

But it wasn’t working.

It felt like the oxygen was being sucked out of the room, drowning her in darkness and silence. Her vision blurred and everything spun, making Leslie feel sick.

She needed air and fast.

Frantically, she got up from the floor, her feet slipping as she pushed herself onto shaky legs. The window. She needed the window open.

Leslie’s teeth chattered, but she didn’t feel cold. No. This was fear that was making her so unstable. Something that she had never felt before. Something that made her want to get out of City Hall as quickly as possible.

She wrenched the window, and it slid with a soft clunk, letting in the sweetest breeze that Leslie had ever felt. Her lungs filled with the fresh air, and she felt just a tiny bit more human.

So much so that all she wanted to do was jump out of the window, just to get a rush of the wind, hoping that it would give her courage again. 

That’s when it hit her. She looked down, down at the grassy knoll just outside of City Hall, and it looked so appealing.

She could jump.

It would be safer, surely. Safer than being stuck in her office like a sitting duck, just waiting for the lunatic to find her. Maybe if she jumped out of the window, she would end up with a broken leg, but she’d be outside. She’d be level with Ben and closer to their children.

A broken leg seemed like nothing. If anything, it drove her to do it. She’d pick that over multiple gun wounds any day. With a broken leg, she could still come into work on crutches and cuddle with her babies and husband every day. With a gun wound, there was no telling what could happen.

She turned around and looked at the photo frame on the floor. The photo of her family. With a shaky breath, she blew a kiss to the picture.

She’d be home soon.

Leslie turned back out to the window and saw it.

Two eyes staring back at her.

Leslie screamed and jumped backwards, and the figure leapt forward, hanging onto the windowsill.

“Boss! Leslie! It’s me!”

“Andy?” Leslie gasped, hurrying back to the window and looking out. Sure enough, there was Andy, trying to pull himself into the room.

Leslie quickly reached out, her fingers yanking at Andy’s jacket, helping him to climb into the office. Andy tumbled in with a thud and quickly hauled himself up.

“Are you ok? Are you hurt?” Andy asked, his hands on Leslie’s shoulders.

“I’m fine,” Leslie managed to choke out. “How did you -”

“April? Where’s April?” Andy asked frantically.

“I-I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since this morning. She was going up to…” she paused, and Andy blanched.

“She was going up to the fourth floor,” Leslie finally gasped out.

Andy looked horrified. “I knew it,” he whispered.

He quickly adjusted his sunglasses and took Leslie’s hand, leading her back under the desk. 

“Stay here,” he told her. “I have to find April.”

Before Leslie could beg him not to go, he unlocked the door and sprinted out of the room, leaving Leslie alone once again. 

She breathed out long and hard, relishing in the cold air finally hitting the room, and she silently begged and pleaded that April would be found safe and Andy would be ok.

Then she heard footsteps. They were coming closer, towards her office door. And Leslie squeaked in fear.

“The door” she gasped.

Andy had left the door wide open after he left to find April. Leslie dared not to breath as she pressed her body flat onto the floor, peering through the small gap.

There were a pair of shoes standing in the doorway.


	15. Ron III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up! We're slowly getting to the end now! 
> 
> A huge thanks goes to Supervanillabear31 and Benjis-cool-times for betaing this for me.

It happened 15 years ago. 

Ron had been in the department for just over five years when he heard the screeching sound of the alarm going off. He looked around. From the safety of his enclosed office he could see the concerned faces of the Parks Department staff, each with the same question etched upon their faces. Was this a drill or real?

At the time, Terry and Donna were working in the department. Donna had just started, while Terry had been there for a long time, making mistakes and dropping shit everywhere.

He’d ordered the team into the meeting room and took the shotgun out of his office, stupidly going to look for the gunman. He wasn’t sure why; he put it down to being young and foolish and thinking that his shotgun would be able to take him down.

He never wanted to kill the gunman, just injure him enough to disarm.

It happened all too fast. One minute, Ron was pacing the corridor just outside the Parks Department, and the next, he felt a blinding pain in his leg.

He collapsed to the ground, howling in agony and desperately tried to keep hold of the gun. The splitting pain grew so intense that his vision started to blur, and he slowly lost feeling in his arms.

Ron could only hold his eyes open long enough to see the faint shadow of who had shot him. The shadow took the gun from his hands and carried on into City Council chambers.

Eight civilians died that day. He could’ve prevented it if he hadn’t been so foolish.

Swarms of reporters hung outside City Hall for days afterwards, trying to get statements from the employees about what happened. Ron just pushed past them without so much as an ‘excuse me.’

He wasn’t one for words anyway. But, in that moment, he just wanted to get out of the limelight and into the safety of his office.

Weeks passed, and still Ron berated himself for all his mistakes. He should’ve been more careful. He should’ve hidden until the gunman was level with him and then taken a shot. 

Six months after the incident, he finally came to the conclusion.

He was no longer going to be a hero. If that alarm ever went off again he would sit at his desk and refuse to move.

Ron remembered that vividly as he crept down the halls with Ben by his side. Just like how he had done all those years ago.

Only this time, he was prepared and ready. Despite Ben being incredibly nervous by the situation, he was proving to be fairly useful. While Ron led them both to the third floor, Ben kept an eye out on the rear.

Ben finished telling him about his fight with Leslie that morning, and things were quiet once more.

That’s when Ron heard it.

A thud from down the hall.

He immediately threw his arm out, causing Ben to stop in his tracks.

“Someone’s there,” he muttered, scanning the end of the hall to try and see what was coming.

Another thud came, and Ron cocked the gun, aiming blindly down the hall. He was prepared this time, and this gunman wasn’t exactly quiet.

“Who’s there?” he called out, trying to ignore the fact that his moustache was trembling. “I’m armed.”

Suddenly, a figure skidded from the end of the corridor, and Ron pulled on the trigger. A loud shot fired towards the figure but missed. The person let out a frightened yell, a sound that Ron recognised.

He prided himself in being able to tell someone’s voice without looking at them. It was one of the tricks he used a lot when he wanted to avoid people. It happened a lot when he used to work in City Hall. He’d trained himself to recognise the voice of people like Chris in an instant and, when he heard it, he walked the other way.

And this voice wasn’t a threat at all.

Ron stepped in front of Ben, who was desperately trying to cock his own gun and waved him off. 

“Andy! Come out. It’s Ron,” he called out.

He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Andy crawl out from behind a cabinet. “Ron!” Andy cried out, clambering off the floor and towards the two men.

“What are you doing here, son?” Ron asked, a little irritable. He could’ve been shot.

“April,” Andy breathed out. “She’s stuck on the fourth floor. I need to get to her. Can you help me, Ron? I’m really worried about her, and I’m scared that this maniac has gotten to her already.”

Ron looked back at Ben with a grunt. He was already helping Ben get to his wife, and now he had to help Andy too? 

Ben, however, was willing.

“Here, take my gun,” he said as he passed it to Andy. “Leslie’s office is down the hall. I’ll shut myself in there, and we’ll be fine.”

Ron nodded and patted Ben on the shoulder. “Run straight there. Don’t look back.”

Ben swallowed. “Thank you, Ron. This means a lot to me. Good luck.”

And, with that, he took off down the hall, skidding around the corner towards Leslie’s office.

Ron turned back to Andy and reloaded his gun. “Alright, to the fourth floor.”

The two men hurried off back up the stairs to get to April.


	16. April IIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is up! I've had this on my computer for ages and completely forgot to upload it, so sorry about that!
> 
> A huge thank you goes to my lovely betas - Supervanillabear31 and Benjis-cool-times for your kindness and hard work.

April smiled almost manically at Eric. His hand started to tremble even more at the sight of her.

She had dreamed of the day she’d finally be able to confront him. In her mind, she had killed Eric a thousand times over. She and Orin had gotten drunk and stuck pins into a voodoo doll of him once before. The same one from the night of her assault, but the time soon came where it practically ate up her life. She then decided to forget about him and push any thoughts of him out of her head. Soon, the nightmares stopped, and she met Andy. There was no need to think of Eric ever again.

Until now.

She just wished that she were the one with the gun in her hand. 

Maybe she could trick him to give her the gun. Try and act all nice and cute, and then _bam_. She’d have it gun and would be shooting him in the head.

There was no more fear in her. Just anger and a fiery rage.

Without thinking, her hand jerked forward, grabbing ahold of the gun in Eric’s hand. He tried to pull his hand back, but she had a tight grip on it. 

“What happened, huh?” April asked with a twisted growl to her voice. “What made the big strong man want shoot those innocent people?”

Eric’s blue eyes winced as he tried to keep the gun in his hand, but April was finding strength she didn’t know she had. 

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Eric hissed.

“You were in the divorce court,” April continued. “What happened, eh? Did your wife suddenly find out what a disgusting piece of crap you were and want out?”

There was a sudden thud outside the room, as if someone was trying to break in. Both April and Eric spun around and stared at the door. 

“April!” she heard her name being called, and her heart leapt. It was Andy.

Eric looked back at her, and April smiled sickly.

“That’s my husband,” she said with a sadistic grin. “And he’s with the fucking FBI. He’ll kill you.”

Eric cocked the gun and aimed it at her head. But for some reason April wasn’t scared. She just laughed.

“Oh, you remember my friend Orin? I think you called him Halloweentown or something when you first met him? Well, he still has that voodoo doll of you. So if you kill me then he’ll be sure to castrate you. This time for good.”

Her eyes met Eric’s; she was relieved to see that he was almost scared.

“You know all those STDs you got? Yeah, that was Orin’s handiwork.” April wasn’t sure if Eric had ever had those problems, but the way his eyes widened, she was sure that she had hit the nail on the head.

There was another bang, and Eric frantically looked around the room. With a snap, he wrenched the gun free out of April’s hand so hard that she felt her wrist break. In the pain of it, she didn’t realise Eric held the gun above her head and cracked it down against her skull.

After that, she only saw black.


	17. Andy IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the entire story is basically written! You'll get updates pretty regularly now!
> 
> A big, big thanks goes to Supervanillabear31, Benjis-Cool-Times and PawneeWafflesBen for being my amazing betas.

Andy had held a gun three times in his life.

The first time, he was fifteen. His elder brother handed it to him as a joke. Andy was amazed by the feel of it and the thought that he had this immense power in his hand. 

His brother lined old Coke cans up outside their home, and Andy shot at them. He only managed to hit one before his brother got frustrated and snatched the gun out of hand, telling him that he’d show him how it was done.

Andy had loved the power of it. How every shot he took would send vibrations up his arm, his fingertips tingling for hours after. And when his mother asked why he was trembling, he lied and said he was cold. 

She’d murder him and his brother if she ever found out.

The second time, he was 22. He was just messing around with some buddies when an old friend of Burley’s took out a shotgun and said that they should go to the forest to shoot rabbits for fun. 

He missed again. Hell, they’d all been drinking. None of them managed to hit the speedy rabbits, but it still gave him the same thrill, just trying to hit something.

He was completely against gun violence, but it was just the kid’s fantasy of never being able to hold a cop’s gun that made him curious to see what it felt like. He’d never shoot a human. And thinking back, he’d never try to shoot an animal again either. But it still felt exciting to hold.

The third time was in this moment, as he and Ron sprinted up to the fourth floor. But he didn’t want to shoot anything now. Right now, the thought of having to use this weapon made him feel sick to his stomach.

It wasn’t for fun anymore. It was for protection.

To protect him and April; that was the main outcome.

The two men hurried up the hall. There were scattered papers and pools of spilled coffee littering the floor, things people had dropped while they got out of there. They carefully paced the corridor, scanning every empty room along the way.

Until they heard a shout.

“Did you hear that?” Andy asked, turning to Ron, who nodded.

They sprinted towards the sound, ending up outside one of the divorce courts. 

“Son,” Ron warned. “Don’t act stupid. One wrong move and it could all be over in a second.”

Andy frantically looked from the door back to Ron. “She’s in there; I know she is. We could kick the door down and get her out.”

“I understand, but that lunatic could have more than a gun in there. We have to-”

Andy couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t take the frustration of being helpless. He had a gun. He could take him down. The gunman would be a bigger target than a rabbit or a Coke can.

“April!” he cried out, gripping the door handle and shaking it vigorously, he desperately tried to rip it out of the locks.

“Andrew!” Ron hissed. “What have you done?”

He fumbled to cock his gun, ready in case anyone jumped out. But Andy kept banging on the door, pent up anger and frustration pulsing through him.

Suddenly, the door flew open with a crash, and Andy stumbled into the room. He looked around hysterically, searching for April. 

Instead, he came face to face with a distressed Councilman Howser. 

“Where’s April?” Andy gasped out. “Please tell me she’s safe.”

Councilman Howser swallowed. “I don’t know. He… That man took her down the fire escape.”

He pointed shakily towards the open window, leading out to a wobbly looking ladder. 

“Fuck,” Andy cried out. “Fuck. No, please don’t tell me this is happening.”

“Andy, calm down.” Ron was suddenly by his side again.

“No! He has April! I can’t lose her, Ron! I can’t!” Andy shouted in desperation.

“I know. But I have a plan,” Ron said bluntly.

Ron pulled out his phone from his clipbelt and tossed it to Councilman Howser. “Call the police. Tell them that the gunman has a hostage and could potentially be leaving the building. We need back up in here too.” 

He clapped Andy around the back and sprinted back out of the divorce court.


	18. April V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update for you all! Thanks so much for all the lovely comments so far!
> 
> A huge thank you to Supervanillabear31, Benjis-Cool-Times and PawneeWafflesBen for being my betas!

Everything was a blur. 

April couldn’t hold her eyes open for long. It was a horrible feeling, a feeling very similar to the one on the night she had been drugged. 

Only this time, her head throbbed with pain, and she could taste blood. 

She could feel someone tugging on her arms and her body scraping against the cold, hard floor. She tried to hold her head up to see, but it lolled back weakly on her neck.

She was being taken somewhere. God knows where, but she could see the hallway slipping away through her blurred vision.

As carefully as she could, she eased off her wedding ring, and dropped it onto the floor. As a child, she loved the story of Hansel and Gretel, and she and Andy had always said that if they were to get lost, they’d leave a trail, just like Hansel and the pebbles, to find each other. It was mainly for Andy’s benefit; he was always getting lost.

From a distance, she heard a door open, and, through the slits of her eyelids, she could see light turn to dark.

Suddenly, her body stopped moving, and she slumped against a wall. Something bumped into her broken wrist, and a searing pain shot up her arm.

“There. You’re going to stay here, and I swear to God, if you move, I will make you pay. I swear I will. I’ll stick my dick so far up you you’ll bleed out of your mouth. Then I’ll put you in the fucking ground; mark my words.” 

The voice was venomous, but April could still tell it was Eric.

Her skin crawled as she felt his lips press against her shoulder. He moaned as his lips trailed downward, licking at her skin.

“You taste just the same as you did all those years ago,” Eric murmured. “I’ll have fun with you later.”

The feeling of his lips left April’s shoulder. And she heard the door close behind her, shutting her back in darkness.


	19. Leslie IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Another chapter!
> 
> A big, big thanks to Supervanillabear31, Benjis-Cool-Times and PawneeWafflesBen for being my amazing betas and for always being super supportive.

Leslie clasped a hand over her mouth, pressing it firmly to stop the sound of her breathing. She closed her eyes, praying that whoever was standing in the doorway would turn around and leave.

But no. When she peeled one eyelid back, they were still there. She immediately closed her eyes again, trembling profusely.

But then, a smell hit her nose. Not a bad smell. No. This was cologne. A man’s cologne, a certain cologne that she had smelled in a department store in Bloomington maybe a million times before buying it.

A cologne she smelled every morning.

“Leslie?”

Leslie released the hand on her mouth, gasping and sobbing. “Ben!” she wailed, pushing herself up from the floor.

She heard him rush into her office and round her desk. All of sudden, he was there, right in front of her, the love of her life, unharmed.

“Oh thank God,” Ben gasped, collapsing to his knees. “You’re ok. You’re alright, I’ve got you.”

“I was so s-scared,” Leslie sobbed as she gripped hold of Ben’s blazer. “I t-thought you might h-have been hurt.”

“No, I’m ok; we’re both ok, and we’re going to get out of this alive. do you hear? We’ll be home tonight with the triplets, and everything will be ok,” Ben soothed, stroking her hair.

“I’m so sorry about this morning,” Leslie babbled. “I should’ve woken you up. I should’ve been shouting at you to wake up.”

“No, it’s my fault. I’m a stupid ass and took it out on you. I’m so sorry, baby,” Ben whispered into her hair and held her tight.

In that moment, Leslie forgot everything. She forgot all about the fight in the morning. She forgot about the gunman. Nothing mattered, other than being in Ben’s warm and protective arms.

They were going to be ok. If they just stayed here with each other until they heard the all clear, then they would be home with their babies before they knew it. She just had to wait it out in Ben’s arms, revelling in the comfort of his touch.

She thought about Andy, how she hoped that he would have found April by now and that they’d be hiding somewhere. He seemed in such a panic when he climbed into her office a mere few minutes ago. 

Then she remembered. The door was still open.

Leslie sat up and let out a shaky gasp. “The door,” she cried out.

“What?” Ben asked, startled.

“Did you lock the door?” Leslie choked out frantically.

“No, I didn’t.”

Leslie’s blood ran cold as a voice that she didn’t recognise cut through the silence. Her eyes fell on Ben, who looked just as terrified as she did.

“On your feet.”

“Stay here,” Ben mouthed to Leslie, and before Leslie could stop him, he rose to his feet, hands shaking as he held them in the air.


	20. Ben IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like people have kind of lost interest in this story... so please, please, please, if you read it and you like it, just drop a little comment. It means the world to me!
> 
> A big thanks goes to my three lovely betas - Supervanillabear31, Benjis-Cool-Times and PawneeWafflesBen.

There were a lot of things that Ben regretted in life.

The first obviously being Ice Town. Ben wouldn’t go back in time to change it, as he learned from it and grew to be stern and strict. But he still regretted it. He wished he had someone at the time telling him it was a bad idea.

The next being the time he once climbed onto the roof of his childhood home in Minnesota. It was all to prove to Henry that he wasn’t a ‘chicken shit’ so to speak. It had been raining, and Ben slipped, ending up with a broken leg. He should’ve told Henry to go fuck himself.

But, as he stood on shaky legs, facing the man who had caused terror in City Hall, Ben knew that he didn’t regret his decision to protect Leslie. Ultimately, if it came down to it, he’d want her to live in his place.

He immediately noticed the gun in the man’s hands. He swallowed, and his hands rose into the air.

“Please don’t do this,” Ben said, his voice trembling as he spoke.

“Shut up!” The gunman shouted. “I’m sick of you all telling me what to do. I can fucking do what I like.” 

He pointed the gun at Ben’s head, and he heard Leslie sob behind him.

“You don’t understand,” Ben said, trying to remain calm. “We… we have children. Triplets. They’re only three. Please, just let us go, and we won’t say anything. Think of them; they need their parents.”

“I don’t give a fuck!” the man shouted, waving the gun around, but Ben could see tears brimming in his eyes. Hell, he was just as afraid as him.

“Can I ask why you’re doing this?” Ben asked. “What happened that made you decide to turn like this?”

“I don’t have to tell you shit,” the gunman spat. “Everyone’s got it in for me. Everyone wants me to just give in to their rules. I make the rules here.” He rose the gun again. “Get down on the floor.”

Ben breathed out and slowly dropped to his knees, his hands still high above his head.

“I want your money,” the man said. “Give me everything. Your wallet. jewellery, phones, everything.”

Ben gritted his teeth. “Alright,” he conceded. He carefully pulled his wallet and phone out of his pocket and slid it across the floor. 

“You too,” the man said to Leslie. She gave a panicked nod and grabbed her purse from her desk, placing it in reach of him. “Those too,” the man growled, pointing at her rings.

Ben’s stomach lurched as the gunman pushed past Ben to get to Leslie. No, he couldn’t take her engagement and wedding rings. Wallets and phones were replaceable; rings meant so much more than just their wedding. They were memories.

“No,” Leslie cried, clutching her hand. “Please don’t. These are important to me.”

“Exactly the reason why I want them,” the man snapped, holding out his hand. “Hand them over.”

“She said no,” Ben growled, getting up from the floor.

“I said stay on the ground!”

There was an ear splitting bang, and Ben felt a blinding pain in the top of his right thigh. He let out a agonising cry, and looked down. 

Blood. There was so much blood pouring out of his leg. He tried to cover the wound with his hand, but his body was slowly going into shock, unable to move.

All he could do was collapse back down to the floor, Leslie’s screams echoing in his ears.

“Shut up!” the gunman shouted, and through blurry vision, Ben saw him grab a photo frame from the floor and bring it down above her head. Glass shattered across the floor, and Leslie’s limp body fell to the ground.

Ben’s eyes were dimming, and he slowly faded in and out of consciousness. He could vaguely see the man bend down and grab Leslie’s hand, about to pull the rings off…

“Rethink that move, son.”

The oddly familiar voice echoed in Ben’s ears, as the room faded to black.


	21. Ron IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next update. There's only five chapters left of this story, so don't forget to read and comment.
> 
> A big thank you goes to Supervanillabear31, BenjisCoolTimes and PawneeWafflesBen for being my betas.

Ron and Andy burst out through the vents and jumped back down onto the third floor. 

They were about to run forward, when Andy stopped, dropping to the floor and picking something up.

“Son, this is no time to stop for pennies,” Ron growled, turning back around to grab his arm.

“This is April’s wedding ring,” Andy breathed out. “I’d recognise it anywhere. She’s near; I know she is.”

Suddenly, there was a gunshot and a scream. Ron and Andy both looked towards the direction of it, and Ron gasped in horror.

It was coming from Leslie’s office.

Why, oh why, did she not use the automatic locks he specifically fitted on that door?

“Find April,” Ron barked at Andy, and he took off down the hall, loading the gun as he ran.

He sprinted around the corner, almost skidding as he ran, and soon, he was in the doorway of Leslie’s office.

The sight in front of him almost made him sick.

Ben was passed out on the floor, blood spattering from his thigh, and Leslie was lying lifeless on the ground, with the gunman standing over her, grabbing her hand and twisting the wedding rings, trying to pull them off.

Ron aimed the gun at his head. “Rethink that move, son.”

The man dropped Leslie’s hand and turned around, the gun aimed at Ron’s chest. “Turn around, old man, and keep walking.”

Ron snorted. “Everyone’s onto you. You have about five seconds before the police storm this building. You’ll go to jail.”

The gunman swore loudly, his icy blue eyes watering and a shaky hand still pointing the gun at Ron. “You’re lying. You’re just trying to scare me.”

“It’ll be worse for you if you don’t tell me what you did with that girl you had,” Ron said, not wavering.

The man scoffed. “April? She’s an old acquaintance. Shame. I was planning on going back and having my way with her.”

Ron’s eyes narrowed. “Choose your words carefully.”

“Twice now, I’ve been stopped. Last time I was maybe inches away of sticking my dick into her. This time around she was barely breathing, would’ve made for an interesting experience to put my dick into her cu-”

_BANG._

The man collapsed to the floor, howling in pain. Ron had shot a bullet straight into his shoulder blade, causing him to drop the gun in his hand. He flailed around on the floor, trying to grab it with his other hand, but Ron got there first, snatching the gun away and carefully tucking it into his belt.

He grabbed Ben’s phone from the floor, and dialled a number.

“Chief? My name’s Ron Swanson. I’m calling from inside City Hall where I’ve just disarmed the gunman on the third floor. Please send your squads in as soon as possible.”

The man hissed and growled like a wild animal, as Ron bent down, pulling his ID from his pocket.

“Well, well, Mr Eric Coleman. Looks like the police are after you,” Ron said as he read the name from the card.

Within a few minutes, a police squad had stormed into Leslie’s office, where Ron quickly briefed them on the situation. They handcuffed Eric while paramedics tended to his shoulder. Soon, he was escorted out of the room, leaving Ron alone with a few other paramedics as they examined Ben and Leslie.

“Will they be ok?” Ron asked. 

“She’s ok,” the paramedic said, as Leslie was lifted onto a stretcher. “He’ll need some surgery but should be fine. It’s mainly shock that’s knocked them out.”

Ron gave a brief nod of understanding and stood to the side to let the paramedics through. 

Then, he slowly trudged back to his old office to finish off that bottle of Lagavulin. It had been a _very_ long day.


	22. Andy V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're on the home-stretch now! Not too many chapters to go until the end!

Andy was going insane. Every door he burst through, April was nowhere to be seen.

She had to be around somewhere. A few years ago, when they went to the Grand Canyon, Andy kept wandering off and getting lost. So, April came up with the idea that if he ever wanted to walk away, he should leave a trail behind, so that April would know how to find him.

Simple, but it got Andy out of a lot of situations.

He kicked down doors to meeting rooms, and searched in empty departments, but still no sign of April.

Until he caught sight of a closet. Something that usually wouldn’t catch his eye, but there was something about this certain door that drew him in.

He slowly walked up to the door and pressed his face against the panel, he could barely see through it, but he could make out shapes and colours.

That’s when he saw it. 

A striped red cardigan. The same striped cardigan that he saw April in this morning when they said goodbye to each other before work.

Andy’s eyes widened. She was in there, she had to be.

“April!” He cried out, banging on the door as hard as he could. He twisted the doorknob frantically. It didn’t budge, of course it didn’t. She was locked in there like some trophy of his sick crimes.

Andy clenched his fist and swallowed. He’d only ever kicked doors down as a joke, but this was serious.

He mustered every ounce of strength that he could find in himself, and with a swift kick, the door burst open and clattered to the side.

There she was. Lying in front of her, too weak to even lift her head up. Andy quickly hurried to April’s side, collapsing in front of her, hands combing her hair back.

“April, baby, babe, it’s me, it’s Andy. Say something, please,” Andy begged, holding April’s head up and cupping her cheeks.

To his relief, April’s eyes flickered open, and Andy breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Andy,” April choked out. He could see dried blood that had ran down from the top of her head. He’d kill the person who did this to her.

“It’s ok, you’re safe now, we’re safe,” Andy told her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead over and over.

Andy found tears building in his eyes as he cradled April, and he choked back a sob when he felt April finally grow strong enough to wrap her arms around his waist.

There was a thud behind them, and Andy quickly turned around to see a police officer, the same one who he had scared outside.

“Are you guys ok?” the officer asked.

“She’s hurt,” Andy said, shifting a little so the police officer could see April. “You need to help us.”

The officer nodded and radioed down for another paramedic to come up. And, as April was helped into a wheelchair and escorted out of the building, Andy could hear faint calls from throughout City Hall.

_All clear, all clear._


	23. Ben V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three more chapters to go after this!
> 
> Don't forget to comment and kudos!

The whole of Ben’s body ached. It felt like a ton of bricks had been piled on top of him, causing every muscle in his body to tense up and throb.

His eyelids were heavy, he couldn’t open them just yet, but there was a faint beeping in the background that was getting on his nerves. He wanted to yell out for someone to stop the noise.

Images starting to flicker in front of him. A man with a gun. The gun being pointed at Leslie. Ben was lying on the floor, he needed to get up and save her.

Something had a hold of him, he was tied down to the floor and couldn’t move, he desperately tried to claw at the painful restraints, needing to move.

“No! Don’t do that, your IV.”

Ben’s eyes snapped open at that. IV? What the hell were they talking about? When his vision cleared, Ben came face to face with several overly bright fluorescent lights. He grunted, and soon the lights dimmed as someone’s shadow blocked them.

Then he said blonde hair cascading downwards. Blonde hair he saw every day and would run his fingers through. 

Leslie.

“Les?” Ben choked out, his throat coarse and sore.

“Ben, oh thank God you’re ok,” Leslie gasped out. 

She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into the crook. She was pressing down a little on one of the wires in his arms, causing the pain to flare up again, but it was all worth it, just to be able to hold Leslie again.

“What happened?” Ben asked, taking in her appearance. Leslie had a bandage around her head, and his heart sank. He didn’t do a very good job in protecting her. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” Leslie said. “I was hit over the head. There was a cut but it’s been tended too, they were worried I would be concussed but they ran some tests and I’m fine. I’m more worried about you though. They took you in for an emergency operation to remove the bullet…God I just remember seeing blood everywhere, I thought you were going to die.”

She swiped at her eyes. “What do you remember?” she asked, pulling the chair closer to his bed and clasping his hand.

Ben took a deep breath and tried to think back to the images flickering in his mind. The man with a gun. A loud bang. Leslie crying.

“I was shot,” Ben mumbled. “The gunman tried to take your wedding ring, and I wouldn’t let him. So, he shot me.”

Then, something else popped into his mind. A voice. A voice talking to the gunman. 

It suddenly seemed so distant and Ben couldn’t place where he had heard that voice before. He looked at Leslie, waiting for answers.

“That’s all I remember too,” Leslie mumbled, rubbing her bandaged forehead. “After you were shot in the thigh, I was knocked out. I woke up in the hospital and they told me that someone had saved us by disarming the gunman. They’re trying to locate him to give him some sort of medal… I don’t know. I can’t think of who would be crazy enough to try and hunt down a gunman.”

That’s when it hit Ben. It was Ron. Of course it was, that gruff voice echoed in his mind. Ron was around helping Andy find April and must’ve heard the commotion in Leslie’s office.

He was about to open his mouth and tell Leslie it was Ron, but something stopped him. No, he couldn’t tell her yet. She hated Ron. He needed Ron hear to explain everything so she could hear it herself, then maybe they’d make up.

Leslie looked down at her watch. “Oh, my mom will be here in a bit. She’s bringing the triplets for us. I thought we could just relax in here for a bit if that’s ok? Just get some normality back.”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, that sounds perfect. I really want to see them.”

Leslie leaned in, giving Ben a delicate kiss on his lips. “I’m so sorry about all of this. But I’m glad you’re ok.”

“Don’t be sorry, it wasn’t your fault. It was just some freak coincidence that we just so happened to get caught up in,” Ben said, caressing her cheek.

“I love you,” Leslie whispered as she pulled away.

“I love you too,” Ben replied, watching as Leslie grabbed her phone and walked back out of the room, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts.

The top of his leg was bandaged down to his knee. Ben carefully touched the covering and winced at the pain. A gun wound. He didn’t know how long it would take to heal, no doctor was around to explain all the details to him, but he was sure Leslie would know.

The door opened again, and Ben looked up, expecting to see a doctor. But instead, he just came face to face with Ron.

“You’re awake,” Ron said, closing the door behind him.

“Yeah, I’m still trying to process everything,” Ben said, covering his leg back up with the blankets.

Ron looked briefly at the injury, and the back up at Ben. “Count your blessings, it could’ve been a lot worse. You’re lucky, that’ll heal up in no time.”

Ben wasn’t sure if he’d like to have Ron’s medical advice, but it helped.

“I just wanted to talk to you about… what happened back at City Hall,” Ron mumbled.

“You saved us,” Ben said. “We could’ve both died if it weren’t for you.”

Ron grunted and looked down at the floor. “Yes. But if Leslie found out she’d feel obliged to set things straight between us. All I did wasn’t an act of friendship, it was just what any other person would do in that situation. I don’t want her to feel guilty and that she has make things right after this. So, I’d appreciate it if we could keep this between us.”

Ben blinked. “You don’t want me to tell Leslie that you saved us? Ron, put aside your fight for a moment and think. Two parents are going to see their children again tonight after thinking that they’d never see them again. We’re alive because if you. I can’t keep that from her.”

“Well you’ll have to,” Ron said. “When the time is right, Leslie and I will make up, she’s tenacious, I have no doubt about that. But I don’t want this turn of events to change anything. And I also know what she’s like. She’ll want to erect a monument in my name and have parades. I don’t want the glory. I just want to go home tonight, kiss my children goodnight and make love to my wife.”

Ben didn’t need to hear the last part, but he nodded slowly.

“I understand, I won’t say anything. Just promise me this, when things are finally set aside and you forget about this stupid argument, you’ll tell her how heroic you were,” Ben said.

Ron grunted again. “The argument isn’t stupid, son. It’s about integrity. But I will give you my word and tell her, when the time is right.”

He gave Ben a brief nod and walked back out of the room. Leaving Ben alone once again.


	24. April VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's just two more chapters left! How is this story nearly over!? I can't believe it!
> 
> Comments and kudos really _really_ make my day!

April just wanted to go to sleep.

She was exhausted, her eyes were drooping and her body felt like it was on fire. But doctors and nurses kept puttering around her, asking her who the president was, and if she could recite the alphabet for them.

She was growing increasingly frustrated. Her head hurt and the pain made her want to close her eyes and hide in a dark room. But the doctors kept telling her that she had to keep her eyes open, they kept mumbling about her pupils being dilated.

Andy was with her the entire time, holding her hand and trying to make her laugh, but it didn’t work. It had been the day from hell, and all she wanted to do was go home with Andy and Champion.

Finally, the nurses left and a doctor sat by her bedside, explaining to her that she had a concussion. Other than that, it was just minor cuts and bruises. He wanted to keep her in overnight for observation, which April growled at, but Andy quickly cut in, saying that they could make it fun.

He had a lot of experiences staying overnight in hospitals, considering his accident-prone reputation.

The doctor left, leaving April and Andy alone. He carefully manoeuvred the wires coming out of her arm and snuggled on her bed.

“I’m so glad you’re ok, babe,” Andy said, lacing their fingers together. “That was really scary back there. I didn’t think I was ever going to find you.”

April nuzzled into Andy’s broad shoulders. “Have you heard anything about Ben?”

“He’s ok, he just woke up, I saw Leslie on my way in and she said that he was going to be fine,” Andy explained.

April allowed herself to be relieved. Not that she cared about Ben or anything, but he was pretty weak and delicate, of course it had to be him that took the most damage out of any of them.

They lay there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence before Andy spoke again. He turned to face her, stroking her arm sweetly as he looked into her eyes.

“Ron said you knew the gunman.”

April didn’t respond.

“Zuzu.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you could still talk.”

April smirked. Typical Andy wanting to prompt a reaction out of her, that was their relationship, playfully ripping at each other and lots of sex. 

“Talk to me,” Andy said. “I want to know what happened so I can try and help.”

April sighed. “You’ll never be able to help. This is way past that.”

She looked back at Andy, he was staring back at her with the biggest puppy dog eyes she had ever seen. He’d never be able to help, but she knew that he’d sure try to.

“I went to the Snakehole Lounge years ago, I was like 19 I think,” April said, remembering that terrible night. “This guy was leering at me all night and I thought that I could get him to buy me drinks. So, he did, but what I didn’t know was that he snuck a pill into my drink…next thing I knew we were outside and my pants were around my ankles.”

She felt Andy tense up next to her, so she rested a hand on his arm. “Nothing happened, thankfully. Oren followed us and scared him off…but he was close to…well y’know.”

“What did he do to you back at City Hall?” Andy asked, his voice low and wary. “Did he try anything?”

April thought hard, but a searing pain shot through her head. She clasped a hand to it, and Andy quickly sat up.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” April said, a little annoyed. She didn’t mean to, but she’d say if she wasn’t ok. “I remember…he said something about coming back for me, but then he left, that’s all.”

She laced Andy’s fingers against hers. “Other than hitting me over the head with his gun, he didn’t hurt me, promise.”

“But he could’ve,” Andy said, sounding hurt. “He could’ve really hurt you, and I wasn’t there to save you.”

“You came at the right time,” April insisted. “If you didn’t try to bust into the court then I don’t know what would have happened. You scared him. Sure, I took a blow, but I can live with that. You’re a hero, Andy.”

She cuddled into his side. “All I want right now is to go home with you and Champion, and eat turkey chilli and drink some alcohol.”

“I know, babe,” Andy said. “But you can’t. We’re going to have a party at the hospital, remember?”

April groaned, but buried her face into Andy’s arm. He grinned and wrapped an arm around her.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” Andy whispered, kissing the top of her head.

“Me too,” April mumbled back, hiding the tears in her eyes the best that she could.


	25. Ron V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter!! We're starting to wrap things up now!

Ron walked back to his old office at the Parks Department to collect the payslips that he left behind during the commotion. Funny, thinking that this was the only reason why he came here today. Everything could’ve been avoided if he just let Craig mail them to him.

No, he couldn’t think like that. He saved a life. Two lives maybe. April and Ben were safe because he put aside his fear from last time and sucked it up. 

That, and he would never let the post office deal with his private documents.

He stuffed them into his jacket pocket. He wanted to push everything to the deepest corners of his mind. He wanted to forget about today, about the fact that this happened again to him. How he was caught here again thanks to a gunman, how he had to put everything on the line to save his friends. It won’t happen again.

Ron grunted. He knew he was overreacting, and he wasn’t the type to overreact, but since he’d been in this situation twice, he was allowing this moment.

He grabbed the half empty bottle of Lagavulin from the floor and the glass he was drinking from earlier, pouring himself a generous amount. He’d done everything he needed to today, he’d spoken to the police, given a statement, now he just wanted to go home.

Just as he was taking his first sip, the door creaked open.

“Oh, thank God, I thought you would’ve gone by now.”

Ron lowered the glass and saw Andy standing in the doorway. He’d seen Andy in this same setting before, way back when he worked here, but now, Andy seemed drained of his usual energy, he looked exhausted.

Ron couldn’t blame him; the poor boy had been through enough.

“I thought you’d be at the hospital with April,” Ron said, taking another long sip.

“I went back to get April some things,” Andy said, awkwardly stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Ron, if you didn’t show up I never would’ve found April. You tried to stop me from doing something stupid, and I ignored you. I’m so sorry for that.”

Ron sighed. He gestured to Ben’s glass that was still on the floor, and Andy picked it up and handed it to him. Ron filled up the glass and pushed it back to Andy.

“You don’t have to apologise,” Ron said. “You were upset and wanted to find her. We did in the end, and she’s ok. That man will be going to jail. It won’t be the end of it, I can promise you that, but for the moment, you’re both ok.” 

Andy’s shoulders slumped and he took the glass, drinking most of the scotch in one gulp. “I could’ve lost her, Ron.”

Ron slowly nodded. “Yes, you could have. _Could have_. Don’t live in the what ifs and the could haves. Live in what really happened, it’ll eat you up if you don’t.”

He reached forward and clapped Andy on the shoulder. “It’ll be ok, son. You’ll both get through this, you’re strong enough.”

Andy slowly nodded, and before Ron could move back, Andy had pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Ron tried to object, but Andy was too strong, even for him.

He must be getting old.

Instead, Ron let Andy hug it up, he even tried rubbing his back in a supportive manner, but it just felt weird. 

Andy pulled back, rubbing his eyes. “I need to go back home,” he said. He finished the last of his drink and gave Ron a sad smile.

“Thanks again, I’ll see you around?”

Ron nodded, sitting back down at his desk. He looked around the room, everything feeling alien once again.

He most definitely wasn’t going to come back here again.

But, deep down, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep away for long.


	26. Leslie V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! The end of Lockdown!! 
> 
> I just wanted to say a huge thank you to anyone who commented, kudosed, or read this story. It really means the world to me and I really hope you've enjoyed this story. It's been such a challenging thrill to write and I'm so glad for the positive feedback I've had for it!
> 
> Without further ado, I leave you with the last chapter!

“Look who’s here to see Daddy!”

Leslie loved the look on Ben’s face. It looked like he had dozed off since Leslie left to get the triplets, but he still looked alert, and a dreamy smile spread across his lips as he caught sight of their children.

Stephen broke away from Leslie and made a beeline for Ben. “Daddy!”

“You have to be really careful, Stevie,” Leslie said to the three year old. “Daddy’s hurt. Just gentle hugs, ok?”

Stephen nodded, and Leslie lifted him up onto the bed. She watched as Stephen looked over Ben, like he was analysing him. She was worried that they’d be scarred by this, their father in a hospital bed with a huge wound on his thigh. Not that they’d be able to see it, but she didn’t want them to get upset.

Ben seemed to read Leslie’s mind, and gave her a soft nod, telling her that it was going to be ok. Stephen’s fingers carefully prodded the edge of Ben’s bandages that were peeking out of the blanket.

“Hurt?”

Ben smiled sadly. “A little, but I’m ok.”

He pulled Stephen down into a cuddle and kissed his son on the top of his head. Soon, Wesley and Sonia got jealous, also wanting time with their dad in this new surrounding.

Leslie helped each of them get settled next to Ben in a way that didn’t disturb his IV wires or bandages. There was no room for her, but that was ok. She took a seat next to the bed and held Ben’s spare hand.

“Did you see April?” Ben asked, peering over Wesley’s head to get a better look at his wife.

“I did,” Leslie said quietly. “She’s ok. Angry and upset, but that’s understandable. The doctors thought she might’ve broken her wrist, but it’s just badly bruised.”

She leaned in a little. “Did you know she knew the gunman? Andy told me. I don’t know how, but seeing her again probably freaked him out and stopped him from killing anyone else.”

She pulled back and swallowed. Two people died. The gunman’s ex-wife and the judge who was ruling their divorce. Two people who wouldn’t get to spend time with their families tonight.

It could have been them. One of them could have easily been killed. He was right on top of them at one point. When the bullet went into Ben’s thigh, she thought it was the end. But here they were, sat in a hospital and Ben making good progress.

It had barely been a day. But she could tell he was getting better.

Leslie felt Ben squeeze her hand, and she looked up. His eyes were tired, but still bright and determined.

“It’s going to be ok,” he told her. “We’ll get through this.”

She knew what he was talking about. There’d be nights where she’d wake up screaming in fear that someone could be in their house with a gun, and Ben would have nights where he’d be trembling, covered in sweat as he remembers the pain.

But they had to be strong. Earlier today, Leslie didn’t think that she would ever get to see her family again. She thought it was karma because of the stupid, petty fight she got into with Ben that morning. But, her time wasn’t up yet, and she was going to push this as far back as she could, and live each day like it was her last.

She stood up from her chair and kissed each of her children sweetly. Then she manoeuvred so she could get to Ben. Her lips pressing against his in the warmest kiss she could muster. Leslie needed this feeling to be burnt into her lips, she wanted to feel alive again.

“I love you so much,” she whispered to him, and Ben grinned softly.

“I love you too,” he said, clinging hold of her hand.

It would be a day they’d never forget, no matter how much they tried. But, everyone made it out alive. She, Ben, April and Andy were safe.

She had half a mind to patch things up with Ron. Being in a situation like that made her very briefly see the error of her ways.

Then again, he wouldn’t have known about today. He said he’d never come back to City Hall, he’d probably think she was over-reacting, resulting in another fight.

Leslie sighed. She’d carry on hating him for a little while longer. 

For now, she took a seat back down next to Ben and listened to the triplets babble excitedly about the finger painting they did at kindergarten. 

She got what she wanted. She’d be spending tonight alive and with her family. And despite the day being the worst thing she’d ever experienced; the night was the start of a new beginning for them. 

They’d come out of this stronger, braver, smarter, and landing on their feet.

Just like they always do.


End file.
